ATL Commercial Kitchens step up the pace at Siemens canteen

Hull-based industry specialist ATL Commercial Kitchens has stepped up to the mark to increase speed and efficiency at a Siemens factory with state-of-the-art kitchen solutions.

The Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy factory’s canteen is a growing business and, due to increasing demand, the factory’s catering provision was not equipped to deliver food to the 300 staff, plus on-site contractors and visitors.

As a result of the layout of the foodservice area causing such long queues, ATL Commercial Kitchens was contracted to address the issue.

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In turn, ATL called in E&R Moffat to design and manufacture bespoke counters as part of the redevelopment of the facility. The result is a fast, efficient lunchtime service in a modern, sleek canteen area.

“This was a very prestigious project and Siemens wanted to use a local company with commercial kitchen expertise, which is why they came to us,” said Lisa Graham, sales director of ATL. “They also wanted equipment to be manufactured in the UK, so Moffat was the obvious choice.”

“The focus was very much on the practicalities of overcoming the queueing issue,” added Graham. “Moffat translated the ideas into a real-world product. The client liked the concepts and, with three ‘back and forths’, to tweak things, the final designs were agreed, as fast as that.

“By replacing the old single counter with two island units we were able to give staff access on both sides of each counter, which speeded up service exponentially.”

Siemens chose stainless steel tops with white panelling on the counters, while the wall cladding is a vivid green, keeping the canteen in line with parts of the factory decor.

The project was handled by ATL’s technical director Ashley Stephenson. Phase one was completed during the three-day Christmas break and included removal of a corridor wall, to open out the servery area, and the creation of a new door opening. Phase two involved fitting Bio Clad Vivid wall cladding and installing the Moffat counters, during which time a temporary dining facility was set up as the factory was in full operation.

Lee Whittaker, project manager for real estate at Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy, said: “The new counters have enabled our canteen to offer a better service and quality of presentation.

“ATL’s product knowledge is exceptional and they delivered a modern, fresh-looking canteen area. We are now able to accommodate the staff more easily and efficiently. The comments back from the workforce show that they are really happy with the finished results.”